Okay so there’s this big fuckin… Gandalf staff we have on our back porch. It was actually just driftwood that my dad and I found at the lake. It’s taller than me (I’m 5’9") and just really kinda beautiful.
Well, a couple years back, some carpenter bees found it. For those who are unfamiliar, they are a type of bumblebee, the most common in my area, who don’t have hives or a queen, who bore holes in wood to nest. They’re a menace to old wood houses (like ours) but usually no one can bring themselves to kill them. They’re the biggest fattest most docile bumblebees ever, seriously I’ve never been stung by a bee EVER (I mean my mom worked for a beekeeper when I was very young, so she kinda taught me…. proper bee etiquette?), they’ll just fly right by you, and you’ll know it too because the buzz is so loud, and sometimes they’ll hover and stare for a bit, trying to gauge whether or not you’re a flower. They figure it out eventually and they’ll be on their way.
Well anyways, the carpenter bees found the wizard staff and have been making their homes in it. And at first my dad and I were upset, but then I was like “Wait a minute, if you think about it, that’s like… top tier nature wizard shit! That’s some serious Radagast shit right there!”
So now we have this wizard staff, home of the biggest fattest bees you’ve ever seen, and I’ve got some inspiration for a dnd character.
EDIT: Look no one is seeing my reblog, and that’s the best part, so here’s the picture I took of a bee living in said wizard staff.
This post is dedicated to the bees, make sure you do your part to save the bees!
Facts to increase your love for bees:
They have personalities.
They can recognize human faces.
Their honey contains all the substances needed to sustain life.
Eating Honey can make you smarter.
Honeybees can only sting once.
They beat their wings up to 200 times per second.
Honeybees are the only insects that produce food for humans.
Bees don’t sleep.
All worker bees are female.
Ways to attract bees:
Plant flowers that attract bees.
Build a bee houses.
Place bee waterers and bee baths around your garden.
Do not use pesticides or herbicides of any kind.
Plants that attract bees:
Bee balm
Lavender
Crocus
Snow Drop
Wildflowers/Any native species
Catmint
Borage
Anise hyssop
Heliotrope
Sunflower
Oregano
Yarrow
Coneflower
Black eyed susan
Asters
Goldenrod
Foxglove
Marigold
Pansies
Sweet peas
Nasturtiums
Bee folklore:
It is unlucky to kill bees.
Believed to have the knowledge of the future and all secrets.
If a bee lands on your hand, it suggests money is on it’s way.
If a bee lands on someones head, they will become successful in life.
If a bee flies into a home, it means either good luck or a stranger is on their way. If you kill the bee it means the stranger will be bringing bad news.
Seeing a single bee will bring luck.
Bees buzzing around a child’s head foretells a happy, successful life.
Bee mythology:
Ancient Egyptian pharaohs used the bee as their royalty symbol. They believed honey bees were born from the tears of the sun God, Ra. To the Egyptians, bees represented resurrection and protected against evil spirits.
Druids believed that bees represented the sun, the Goddess, celebration, and community.
The Greeks thought that a babies whose lips where touched by a bee would become a great poet or a great speaker. In ancient Greece it was also thought that they symbolized industry, hard work, messengers of the dead, and obedience. Honey was often used as an offering to their Gods. They also believed bees were the surviving souls of the priestesses who served the Goddess Aphrodite.
They have been seen as a symbol of sacredness and could be associated with the Great Mother or Divine feminine. The Mother can be symbolized as the queen bee.
In Celtic mythology honey bees had great wisdom and thought to be messengers between worlds. Honey was sacred and used in rituals.
Heatherwitch 